BY SAUL BERRIOS-THOMAS | STAFF WRITER
Edinburg North grad Saul Garza signed to play baseball for Louisiana State University on Wednesday.
Garza was one of 19 players from his team at Howard Junior College in Big Spring to sign to play NCAA Division I baseball on Wednesday.
“It just feels good, actually getting to sign with one of my dream schools,” Garza said.
When Garza first arrived at Howard in the fall, the teenager from Edinburg faced a big adjustment.
“At first it was tough, because I didn’t know too many people coming in,” Garza said. “But, I mean, this team has gotten so close. We have guys coming in from so many DI programs, and all of them have told us, ‘You will never be on a team that is closer than this one.’ We all just seem to click. We know we are all here trying to be the best possible players.”
Once Garza started to feel at home, the adjustments in his game came quickly and easily. With talented, experienced teammates and a staff of knowledgeable and charismatic coaches, Garza put all his efforts into becoming the best player he could possibly be.
The results have shown in his play this season. Garza is third in the Western Junior College Athletic Conference with 10 home runs. He is hitting .390 and has driven in 33 runs with five doubles.
“This season has been a learning process,” Garza said. “I have been learning a whole new aspect of the game. It’s a lot faster paced. I have been learning a lot more about the mental side of the game. Throughout my high school career, I mostly just relied on physicality and hard work, and all that does pay off, but once you get to the next level, a lot of it is really about the mental side of the game. What to do in what counts, what position you are in. But playing with so many talented guys — we have guys who played at TCU and Arkansas last year — them bringing that experience to the table and teaching us young guys, I feel like that has helped us.”
Howard is 22-13 overall and 14-6 in conference play. The Hawks are tied for third in the conference, but two games separate the first-place team from the fifth-place team with 19 games left in the season.
One Hawk who helped Garza’s growth is sophomore Reese O’Farrell. The catcher from Burlington, Ontario, Canada, has taken Garza under his wing, Garza said.
“He taught me so much about our pitching staff, especially the older pitchers that we have,” Garza said. “How to talk to each pitcher, because not every pitcher reacts the same way to the same kind of feedback.”
Garza said he has also developed genuine friendships with sophomores Bryan Sturgess, Robbie Bullard, Mason Peterson and Doug Facendo.
“Out here in West Texas, there isn’t that much to do,” Garza said. “So we are with each other 24/7, on and off the field. That has helped a lot.”
Facendo also signed to a DI school Wednesday. He is headed to Texas Tech.
“We have already been talking about hopefully meeting up next year in the College World Series if both of our teams make it that far,” Garza said. “We know each other so well, so it’ll be really fun to face each other at the next level.”
Maybe Garza will be in the College World Series next year, or maybe he’ll be fulfilling his dream of playing baseball professionally. As a junior college player, Garza is eligible to be selected in June’s MLB Draft.